Can you believe it? Newly elected Council Member Angelica Amezcua is now in a position to be the key vote that will determine who our next Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem will be. How this happened is an interesting tale.

The “Santa Ana Spring” failed miserably this November, particularly when Amezcua beat her Team Benavides opponent, Eric Alderete. She spent not a dime and he raised and spent a small fortune, for naught. Now the Benavides cabal is down to three votes – David Benavides, Michele Martinez and newly elected Roman Reyna.

The adults on the City Council are firmly behind Council Member Sal Tinajero to replace outgoing Mayor Pro Tem Claudia Alvarez. Tinajero has lined up the support of Council Member Vince Sarmiento and Mayor Miguel Pulido.

But each side has only three votes so the rush is on to curry Amezcua’s favor. Tinajero and Pulido have both met with her already. Presumably so has Benavides, but here is where he is doomed – Amezcua was recruited and supported, secretly, by Alvarez. She was really just a prank candidate but she won and now Alvarez is in a position to pick her successor, by having Amezcua vote for Tinajero.

This is of course exactly what I predicted. Benavides and his pals are now going to be seated at the proverbial little kids’ table and they will have exactly zero influence on civic matters. And in 2014 both Benavides and Martinez will lose their Council seats as Pulido is sure to come after them.

Of course this is all moot if Amezcua goes nuts and sides with Benavides. Or they might all end up voting for Tinajero. It is hard to say but regardless the City Council meeting on Tuesday night is going to be a doozy. And just like that the Benavides faction will be finished – I would be mighty surprised otherwise.

Mateo said it first.
Angelica is in the Cat Bird Seat.
And please stop insulting her by calling it a “prank”.
We worked hard to organize that Reverse Funding stealth campaign.
It might just be the wave of Santa Ana’s future.

Why don’t they offer Angelica the Santa Ana O.C. Water Board seat (just vacated by Cluadia Alvarez). It pays $200 per meeting (up to $40,000/year), or the Sanitation Board or Toll Road Board seat which pay a bit less but still are a nice little pay day? Hold out Angelica until they give you something for your vote! Don’t sell out toooooooooooooooooooo cheap.

You don’t give Claudia nearly enough credit. She put Amezcua/Oliver in the race to help Franklin which is why amezcua/oliver didn’t participate in debates or even run a campaign. It wasn’t a prank. It was designed to mislead voters. Her sister did the same thing. Claudia is brilliant.